Japan by Rail Includes Rail Route Guide and 30 City Guides

by Zarifeh, Ramsey; Udagawa, Anna

• ISBN13: 9781905864751
• ISBN10: 1905864752
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2016-09-07
• Publisher: Trail Blazer Pubns

Summary

Japan is steeped inlegend and myth, perhaps the greatest of which is the popular misconceptionthat the country is simply too expensive to visit. The truth is that flights toJapan are cheaper than they've ever been, accommodation can be great value, whilethe warm hospitality which awaits every visitor costs nothing at all. The realsecret to travelling around the country on a budget, however, is the Japan RailPass. Use this comprehensive guide in conjunction with a rail pass to get themost out of a trip to Japan.
• Practical information – planning your trip; when to go; suggesteditineraries; what to take; festivals and events
• City guides and maps – where to stay, where to eat, what to see in30 towns and cities; historical and cultural background
• Kilometre-by-kilometre route guides – covering train journeys from the coast intothe mountains, from temple retreat to sprawling metropolis; 33 route maps
• Railway timetables and frequency charts – Bullet trains and main routes
• Customs, etiquette, Japanese words and phrases –with kanji
• Thisnew edition also now includes:
• kanji/hiragana/katakana for all place names mentioned inthe book so readers can point to the text when asking Japanese speakers fordirections.
• The extension of the shinkansen route from Nagano toKanazawa. This is now called the Hokuriku shinkansen.
• Additional side trips from Tokyo including to Kawaguchi-kofor magnificent views of Mt Fuji, and to Mito for Kairakuen, the only one ofthe three great landscape gardens in Japan not currently mentioned in the book.
• Expanded coverage of Nikko, Nagasaki, the side trip to Asosan, Beppu, and many places in the Kansai region

Author Biography

Graduating from Cambridge University, Ramsey Zarifeh, spent two yearsteaching in Japan. Now a journalist, he worksfor Reuters, Swiss Radio International and the BBC.
Anna Udagawa lives in the UK and was an English teacher in Japan before getting married there. She revisits Japan regularly and now works as a travel guide-book editor.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

PART 1: PLANNING YOUR TRIP

Routes and costs 8

When to go 10

Rail passes Japan Rail Pass 11, Regional JR rail passes 13, Getting a

rail pass 15, Exchange orders 18, How to use the rail pass 19

Suggested itineraries 20

Before you go Booking a flight 25, Passports and visas 27, Tourist

information 27, Health and insurance 28, What to take 28, Money 29,

Suggested reading 29

PART 2: JAPAN

Facts about the country Geography 31, History 32, Politics 36,

Economy 36, Religion 37, The people 38, Sport 38, Culture 39

Practical information for visitors Arriving in Japan 42, Tourist

information 43, Getting around 43, Accommodation 45, Where to

eat 52, Nightlife and entertainment 55, Media 56, Electricity 56,

Time 56, Banks and money matters 56, Post and telecommunications 57,

Language 59, Assistance 60, Shopping 62, Museums and tourist

attractions 63, National holidays 64, Festivals and events 65, Activities 66

PART 3: THE RAIL NETWORK

Railway history 68

The railway Japan Rail today 74, The trains 75, Timetables 78,

Alternatives to a Japan Rail Pass 79, Buying a ticket 79, Making seat

reservations 80, Railway staff 81, Station facilities 82

PART 4: GATEWAY CITIES

Tokyo 83Osaka 113

Part 5: HONSHU

Central Honshu

Route guides Tokyo to Nagoya by shinkansen 126 – Tokyo to Nagano

by shinkansen 138 – Nagano to Nagoya via Matsumoto 141

Nagano to Nagoya via Toyama and Takayama 144 – Toyama and Kanazawa

to Nagoya, Kyoto or Osaka 151

Central Honshu (cont'd)

City guides Nagoya 155 – Nagano 163 – Matsumoto 169 – Takayama 174

Kanazawa 180

Kansai

Route guides Nagoya to Shin-Osaka by shinkansen 188 – Nagoya to

Shin-Osaka via the Kii Peninsula 190

City guides Kyoto 198 – Nara 215 – Side trip to Koya-san 223

Western Honshu

Route guides Osaka to Shin-Yamaguchi by shinkansen 226

Shin-Yamaguchi to Masuda 234 – Masuda to Matsue 238

City guides Kobe 241 – Okayama 247 – Hiroshima 252 – Matsue 261

Tohoku (North-eastern Honshu)

Route guides Tokyo to Shin-Aomori 268 – Shin-Aomori/Aomori

to Akita & Niigata 289

City guides Sendai 300 – Niigata 306 – Aomori 312

PART 6: Hokkaido

Route guides Shin-Aomori/Aomori to Hakodate 318 – Hakodate to

Sapporo 321 – Sapporo to Asahikawa & Abashiri 327 – Abashiri to

Kushiro 331 – Kushiro to Sapporo or Asahikawa 337

City guides Hakodate 342 – Sapporo 348 – Asahikawa 357

PART 7: Kyushu

Route guides Shin-Yamaguchi to Hakata/Fukuoka by shinkansen 362

Hakata/Fukuoka to Nagasaki 366 – Hakata/Fukuoka to Kagoshima-chuo by

shinkansen 369 – Kokura to Miyazaki 374

City guides Fukuoka/Hakata 381 – Nagasaki 389 – Kumamoto 397

Kagoshima 404

PART 8: Shikoku

Route guides Okayama to Takamatsu 414 – Takamatsu to

Tokushima 415 – Takamatsu to Kochi 416 – Kochi to Uwajima 421

Uwajima to Matsuyama 423 – Matsuyama to Okayama 425

City guides Takamatsu 428 – Tokushima 435 – Matsuyama 439

MAP KEY 445

APPENDICES

A: Glossary 446B: Useful words and phrases 450C: Timetables 454

INDEX 471